Four journalists from RFE/RL’s Afghan Service, known locally as Radio Azadi, have been recognized for their coverage of politics and youth issues in Afghanistan.

Afghan president Ashraf Ghani awarded Azadi’s Faizullah Qardash the Sayed Jamalludin medal for his radio literary programs. Qardash is one of 21 writers and poets awarded by President Ghani for their work this year. Qardash is also the editor of Radio Azadi’s education section and the producer of Azadi Magazine, a popular weekly literary and cultural program.

Two local civil society organization honored Nazeefa Mahboobi for three investigative reports published in 2015. The first report investigated the private militia force of Ustad Muhaqiq, second deputy to the Afghan chief executive officer, in the Daikundi province. The second revealed the smuggling of weapons into Pakistan, while the third detailed how army commanders ceded territory to the Taliban. Both organizations awarded all three reports for “Best Reflection of the Situation on the Ground.”

Kudos is also due to Ahmad Hanayesh, who was awarded a certificate of appreciation and a "Freedom Of Speech Award" by the Afghan Journalist Federation for a feature story detailing the corruption of a provincial council election in the Parwan province.